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Pair of candlesticks (part of a set)

late 17th–early 18th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 532
Pair of candlesticks with turned shafts and octagonal bases carved with scrolling acanthus leaves and floral motifs typical for a group of objects made in Nancy, eastern France. The very fine-grained cherry wood, known as “bois de Sainte Lucie,” grew in a nearby forest. Named for the patron saint of the Lorraine region, this type of fruitwood was appreciated for its reddish-brown color and its pleasant smell reminiscent of cinnamon. Furthermore, it lent itself beautifully to carving often in intricate patterns resembling goldsmith work.



These candlesticks would have been part of a larger dressing-table set which would also have included a mirror, a series of different boxes, brushes, and a pincushion. The use of “bois de Sainte Lucie” for dressing-table sets was stimulated by Louis XIV’s sumptuary edicts of 1689 and 1709, which caused much French silver to be melted down.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Pair of candlesticks (part of a set)
  • Maker: Nicolas François Foulon (French, Nancy 1628–1698 Nancy)
  • Date: late 17th–early 18th century
  • Culture: French, Lorraine (Nancy)
  • Medium: Fruitwood (bois de Sainte-Lucie)
  • Dimensions: each: 6 3/8 × 4 1/2 in. (16.2 × 11.4 cm)
  • Classification: Woodwork-Furniture
  • Credit Line: Gift of Rosenberg and Stiebel Inc., 1963
  • Object Number: 63.42.6, .7
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

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Box (part of a set), Nicolas François Foulon French, Fruitwood (bois de Sainte-Lucie), French, Lorraine (Nancy)
Box (part of a set)
Nicolas François Foulon
late 17th–early 18th century
Part I: Carolo III. Lotharingiae et Barri Duci. . .Dix grande Tables, contenantes les pourtaictz des pompe funebres, Frédéric Brentel German, Engraving
Part I: Carolo III. Lotharingiae et Barri Duci. . .Dix grande Tables, contenantes les pourtaictz des pompe funebres
Multiple artists/makers
1609?–?1610
Candlestick and workbox (table à ouvrage en guéridon), Martin Carlin French, Oak, veneered with tulipwood, boxwood, and ebony; gilt-bronze; blue velvet, French
Candlestick and workbox (table à ouvrage en guéridon)
Attributed to Martin Carlin
ca. 1785
Box, Nicolas François Foulon French, Fruitwood (bois de Saint-Lucie), French, Lorraine (Nancy)
Box
Workshop of Nicolas François Foulon
late 17th–early 18th century
Le Cannameliste Français, Ou Nouvelle Instruction Pour Ceux Qui Desirent D'Apprendre L'Office, Rédigé en Forme de Dictionnaire, Joseph Gilliers French, Engraving
Le Cannameliste Français, Ou Nouvelle Instruction Pour Ceux Qui Desirent D'Apprendre L'Office, Rédigé en Forme de Dictionnaire
Multiple artists/makers
1768

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